skip to Main Content

Flying High 4 Haiti is a non-profit organization that takes its name from the Haitian children who enjoy making their own kites from plastic garbage and sticks. The goal of Flying High 4 Haiti is to empower communities through sustainable development by providing access to educational opportunities.

FlyingHigh4Haiti, Inc is a public non-profit organization as described in section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code and your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. Our tax id number is 85-1935478

Community Need

Ile-a-Vache is a beautiful but impoverished island with no running water, electricity, or paved roads. Most children in Haiti cannot afford a high school education and drop out in 6th or 7th grade to help support their families economically. There is an enormous need to find reasons for children to stay in school and prepare them for jobs in the real world. The only jobs on the island are fishing and agriculture, and most food and water must be imported by boat. But the island has potential for tourism and sustainable development, especially with the recent arrival of cellular coverage to the island, as well as solar panels.

Investing in education is a vital means to create the hospitality skills that will ensure the local population are not left out and can benefit from future job opportunities. If languages, computer skills, arts and crafts, and music are included in the curriculum, these children will become a valuable part of the development and progress of Ile-a-Vache.

Your donation will provide critical resources to help educate the students at Ecole du Village, including paying the salaries of teachers, buying educational supplies, and upgrading and building more classrooms.

Impact

As a result of our fundraising, we have been able to build 5 classrooms and 4 bathrooms and to completely renovate the main building of the community school Ecole du Village.  We pay the salary of the 11 teachers including an Art and English teacher, the principal and the administrator of the school, and all the supplies and textbooks. In Haiti, there are very few public schools and parents can’t afford the tuition fees to send their kids to school. Ecole du Village provides free tuition for all its students.

After Hurricane Mathew hit Ile- a -Vache, Flying High 4 Haiti rebuilt and fixed roofs of 60 hurricane-destroyed homes in two areas of the island – Docachinan and Canobert.

The rebuilding process was done by local workers and all the materials were bought on the mainland. We believe in the importance of providing jobs locally and buying locally instead of bringing from abroad.

On November 2017 the mayor of Ile-a-Vache, Amazan Jean Yvras, awarded Flying High the Meritorious Honor award for services to the community in the post-Hurricane Mathew recovery effort.

Founder: Ines Lozano

Ines Lozano is a Spanish-American with 25 years of experience in the field of education.  As a daughter of a diplomat, she was raised in many countries and is fluent in English, Spanish, French and Portuguese and currently studying Creole.  She has a BA in Education from Marymount University and a Master in applied linguistics from Nova University.  Ines is the former principal at Metropolitan International School of Miami, located in the Wynwood arts district. Ines Lozano is also the Key Biscayne Rotary President 2020 – 2021. She was awarded as Rotarian of the Year in 2017.

Ines visited Haiti for the first time in 2009.  She decided to found Flying High 4 Haiti after volunteering to work with homeless children in the tent cities created following the 2010 earthquake.

angela rizzi

Angela Rizzi

Angela Rizzi is the vice-president of Flying High 4 Haiti since its inception in 2012.

Angela Rizzi, a long-time resident of Key Biscayne, Florida, is a real estate broker with 18 years of experience helping local and international investors with their real estate portfolios in the greater Miami area. She is fluent in four languages (English, Spanish, Italian, and Portuguese) with an extensive background in art history and the insurance industry. She has been involved in a multitude of community activities assisting various causes including Voices for Children, which assists abused and neglected children as well as the homeless. In 2011 Angela received a Congressional Recognition Award in Washington D.C. for her leadership within the Hispanic community. Her commitment and devotion make her a leader in the Colombian community serving as a liaison between the community leaders and newcomers.

Our Team

Adriana Velazquez, Maria Marta Gil, Maria Julia Aran, Ana Stanfield, and Carolina Raaijen.

Goals

General Education

  • Expansion and improvement of school facilities
  • Increase the supply of school materials
  • Create afterhours literacy education for adults
  • Create vocational youth workshops: carpentry, blacksmiths, farming

Art

  • Arrange regular workshops of photography, painting, sculpture, music
  • “Train the trainers program” to teach arts and crafts as part of the school curriculum
  • Increase the supply of art materials in the school
  • Provide musical instruments

Sports

  • Support physical education and sports
  • Upgrade school soccer field of Ecole du Village
  • Provide soccer gear: soccer balls, uniforms, cleats

Voluntourism

  • To promote the concept of vacation with a charitable purpose